Training Teachers In E-Learning Without Internet Access

Paper in proceeding, 2010

In this paper the authors present a solution to the problem of giving practical training in handling information and communication technology (ICT) without depending on internet access. The proposed method is to use an USB-memory to emulate selected educational resources that are otherwise available on the internet or on a local network. How this method can influence pedagogical issues is discussed and, it is asserted that the method offers interesting learning advantages beyond the obvious independence of internet connections. The paper describes the planning and implementation of a course about the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in higher education and, in particular, how it was designed to meet the needs of educators in a developing country with slow or unreliable internet connections. The course was a part of the project USo+I: Universidad, Sociedad e Innovación. Mejora de la pertinencia de la educación en las ingenierías de Latinoamérica (University and Society: Improving of the relevance of the education in the engineering of Latinoamerica) this project financed by the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The University of Borås was assigned to design and teach a course about LMS to engineering educators in Latin-America.